Audio signal recording/reproduction devices using techniques to compress audio signals as information have been in practical use, and semiconductor memories and hard disks are used as recording media thereof. In addition, on-vehicle audio signal recording/reproduction devices using hard disks as recording media have recently been in practical use.
When using hard disks as recording media, the FAT (File Allocation Table) is often used as a file system because of its easy implementation (for example, see Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2002-41336. Regarding the FAT system, see a special topic of the magazine Interface, July 2001, for example).